Snapshots
by ThePhoenixRiddle
Summary: Outtakes from The Photographer's Series. Chapter titles will signify exactly where each chapter of this collection of outtakes takes place in the continuum of the 4 stories in our series. All pairings possible. All POVs possible.
1. Exposure Chapter 1: EPOV

**AN: This took place at Breeze, in Chapter 1 of the story. **_**Exposure**_** will be told solely in BPOV, but we thought that perhaps a little EPOV to explain his and Rose's history and what happened that night before Bella would be interesting.**

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"I'll take a vodka tonic and a Tokyo Rose," I said to the bartender. He was a big guy, and nice enough. "Grey Goose in both, please."

"Tokyo Rose…vodka, sake rice wine, and Midori, right?" The bartender was already pulling a shaker out and filling it with ice. Clearly, the guy was a professional and experienced.

I nodded and flattened a twenty-dollar bill on the bar. "That's it. I'm almost surprised you've heard of it," I replied.

He grinned at me. "I'm uh…well-rounded," he laughed. He mixed the drink and then poured my vodka tonic and pushed both glasses toward me.

"Keep the change," I said. "Thanks a lot."

I always insisted Rose allow me to buy her drinks. It wasn't because she couldn't spend the money; Rose was the number two real estate broker in the downtown Chicago area and owned a loft that was so posh, even I had to stand back and gawk when she originally made the purchase. The view was spectacular - it was a mix of the downtown cityscape and Lake Michigan. No, I made her let me pay for her drinks because she was my closest friend and confidant, and I loved her for it. Besides, money was something I didn't ever have to think about, so why not take care of my friend in this way?

_And it's not like I have to worry about a girlfriend being jealous,_ I thought wryly.

I made my way back to our booth and placed her cocktail before her on the table. "Grey Goose, right?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Nope, they were out. It's Absolut. I hope that's okay," I said, somehow appearing completely serious.

"God damn it, Edward. Are you kidding me? You know I won't drink vodka unless…"

Before she got too far into her little tirade, I moved into my seat, leaned against the wall and held up a hand as I sipped my drink. "Rose, you know I'm kidding. Come on, now."

She only shook her head at me. "I really should know better by now. You and your odd sense of humor…" She flashed a smile at me.

We small-talked for a while. That was one thing about Rose and me - we'd been friends for five years, and in those five years, we'd experienced everything together: bad break ups, deaths in the family, sickness, and even career crises. There was a time, about six months after we met, that Rose actually considered giving up on real estate. For weeks, she would call me every night complaining about how hard showing condos was in the current market and telling me about all the men who made their intentions very well-known. I talked her out of quitting every day because some people are just born to do what they do, and Rose is one of them. When you take all of that into consideration, it's easy to see why conversation was so natural and free-flowing for us.

Our first meeting was entertaining to say the least. She came to showcase my complex to a possible buyer, and when her client left, I asked her what she thought about the condos. She looked me straight in the eye and said, "They're okay. I wouldn't be caught dead without a lake view."

I knew then that Rosalie Hale and I were meant to be friends. No one was ever blunt with me. They were always too concerned with my family name. The Cullens were known for their philanthropic ways around Chicago, and like it or not, we held quite a bit of power in the city. Therefore, Rose's outright dismissal of the location of our condominiums despite their being prime property was impressive, and I immediately wanted to take her to lunch.

She was gorgeous, of course. Long, blonde hair. Big blue eyes. Beautiful, intelligent, witty, _and_ successful? It's safe to say that I was interested, despite having always had a preference for brunettes. Sometimes you can't have everything.

I hinted at spending some time together several times before I said, "Look, I'm just asking as a friend. So how about it?"

It was then that she finally agreed to that lunch. Of course I'd been lying; I wanted to take her to lunch to gauge whether she was at all interested in me.

"_What are you going to order?" I asked after we'd been seated at Deleece. _

_She crossed her arms over her chest and grinned. "Eh. Probably a Szechwan Steak Salad, but I'll take most of it home. I'm not very hungry today." _

_We chatted some more, and I learned that she was a transplant to Chicago by way of Rochester, New York, was six months younger than I was, and had no siblings. Though I was still uncertain whether she was at all into me, I was just about to ask her what she was doing later that evening when the waitress stopped by to deposit our iced teas. "Here you are," she said. "Are you ready to order?" _

_Rose and I ordered our food. As the waitress walked away, Rose watched her and then turned to me. "She's cute." _

"_Yeah, I guess…" I started. The waitress wasn't really my type…but then again, with that long blonde hair, neither was Rose really. _

_Rose's eyes narrowed. "I think I'll get her number." _

_I blinked before my eyes widened and, finally, I shook my head with a chuckle. Rose grinned and winked at me before taking a sip of her tea._

After that, I never asked Rose out that way again. That had been her way of very directly telling me I didn't have a snowball's chance in Hell. Shortly thereafter, I was glad of that fact. We became fast friends - she came to me with her girl problems, and I did the same with her. My few guy friends never wanted to believe that there was nothing going on between us, even after Rose announced that she was a lesbian to them all.

Every Friday, she came over to hang at my condo, and we watched old movies and drank wine. Our Friday nights were almost ritualistic. They were something we always made sure to explain when either of us began a relationship because our significant others were never invited. It was intended to be the two of us, relaxing and catching up.

_Of course_, I thought as I finished my drink, _all the relationships for the past couple of years have been Rose's._

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. After my last girlfriend two-and-a-half years ago, I'd realized the press and rumors really weren't worth the half-assed relationships my job usually allowed. I was very conscious of my family's reputation – ironically, we were constantly under attack because of our philanthropic activities. I'd been amazed when I understood that the majority of the people wanted to believe the worst of their fellow man. It was much easier to stomach the headlines about whose heart playboy Edward Cullen had broken than those about the hours that same Edward Cullen had spent tutoring math – not that work allowed me time for that anymore either.

My stressful job – that I just happened to love – was one of the reasons we found ourselves out for a few drinks that Friday before heading back to my apartment. We sat there in Breeze, and she sipped on her Tokyo Rose as conversation came naturally, the way it always did with us. As she finished her cocktail, a quiet came over the table, and I found myself staring into the crowd. I could hear the overtones of Rose's humming as I stood to go buy another round from the bar.

"I'll br…" I began, but I stopped as I watched the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen walk in. It took a _lot_ to stop me in my tracks. I was by no means the playboy the trashy papers had claimed – my parents had raised me to be a gentleman - but I knew I was charming when I wanted to be. But this girl…

She had long, mahogany hair that hung straight down her back. A slight side part made her hair fall over one eye as she smiled and moved through the crowd.

Even from across the room, I could tell she had an amazing shape. That tight little skirt left just enough to the imagination, and paired with the heels she was wearing, I literally stopped speaking, mid-word.

I abruptly sat back down. "What is it, Edward?" Rose asked. She grinned as she teased me. "You've only had one drink…such a lightweight these days?" When I didn't answer, I saw her frown from the corner of my eye. "Hey…are you okay?"

Nodding my head, I said, "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. This girl just walked in…"

"Do you know her?" Rose asked.

"No, no. She's stunning. I mean, really stunning, Rosie. She stopped me right in my tracks." I took a deep breath. "I…I'll be right back. I was going to go get another round..."

Rose grabbed my belt loop. "Wait, where is she?"

"In that booth directly across from us," I answered her. "I'll be right back."

I went to order our second round. Because the bar was filled nearly to capacity, it took about fifteen minutes of standing at the bar, glancing occasionally over my shoulder at the exquisite woman who was now sitting alone. Finally the bartender saw me, asked if I wanted a round of the same, and when I affirmed that that was the case, I had our drinks in hand in record time. Quickly, I returned to our booth. Rose said nothing as I handed her drink to her and took my seat. It wasn't until I took my first sip that she opened her mouth. "She is _gorgeous_, Edward."

"Yeah, I know."

She spoke quickly and with emphasis on every word. "No, Edward. I mean she's _really_ attractive."

"_Yeah_, I know," I said, raising my eyebrow. I looked over at her, and she was making the same kind of expression toward me. "What?"

"Jesus, Edward. I know you're not that obtuse. What have we been talking about the last few weeks?"

Realization dawned on me. For years, Rosalie had preferred blondes like herself, but that had been changing over the last year or so. She'd found herself attracted more and more to dark-haired women with dark eyes. Ironically, exactly the same type of woman that aroused _me_ most. We had always made a game of pointing out women we knew the other would find attractive, and we were damn good at it, too. We'd even had a few success stories where one or the other of us had found a woman to date for a time from our little hobby.

That game had become more complicated about fourteen months ago, when I first noticed Rosalie's shifting preference.

_We were sitting at the sushi bar of our favorite Japanese restaurant, sharing an appetizer of sashimi as we waited for our table. Glancing around as I sipped my sake, I spotted a blonde bombshell – amazing body, very pretty face with high cheekbones, blue eyes that sparkled even from across the room, and that long, luxurious, wavy blonde hair that Rose loved to run her fingers through. I tapped my best friend on the upper arm and winked, nodding toward the woman I was sure she'd love._

"_You're welcome," I murmured with a cheeky grin._

_She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "She's alright."_

_I frowned at her. "What's wrong with you? Feeling okay?"_

"_I'm fine, Edward." She delicately maneuvered her chopsticks, enjoying a piece of hotate-gai. When I didn't say anything, she finally shrugged and sighed, balancing her chopsticks on the side of her dish. "I'm a little tired of the same old thing, you know?"_

_My brow was furrowed as I dipped my sashimi in a sauce and brought it to my lips._

"_Now _her_, on the other hand…" I glanced up at the sound of Rose's voice and followed her gaze to see a curvy brunette laughing as she brushed back her straight hair._

"_Just a minute, Hale…" I hid my amusement behind what I hoped was a serious-looking frown. "Are you encroaching on my territory?"_

_She just grinned at me. "Wonder who would win."_

From that night, our tastes had steadily merged until I was now quite sure that any woman I found particularly attractive, Rose would, too. Our jokes about having to share if we found someone we were _really _attracted to had started out playful but steadily grown slightly more serious in some strange way. I occasionally cringed at the thought of what would happen if any of the socialite press caught wind of such a relationship, but I wasn't too worried.

I still didn't think it would ever happen. Not really.

For the previous month, Rose and I had been joking about how if we found some girl we were both _really_ attracted to, we'd have to have a threesome. After all, we'd done most everything else together, and between nude beaches, the sauna, and even the occasional shower, we definitely knew the sight of each others' bodies. So what if we wouldn't touch one another? That would just make it easier, and that way, neither of us would miss out on whatever ravishing woman we'd both spotted.

From there, we'd moved on to the more practical aspects in the idle time we spent drinking. We decided it would have to be someone we didn't know, and she'd probably have to be a bit shorter than Rose because she liked to be taller than her girlfriends and therefore any girl she was involved with; it was just a thing she had. We also decided this would have to be a one-time deal because our friendship was too important to screw up over a woman.

It had all been said in jest.

At least I thought it was.

"Wait," I said, casting a glance at the girl across the way and then bringing my attention back to Rose. "Are you serious? With her?"

She nodded. "Why not? She's hot; we're hot. We can ask, right?"

I couldn't argue with that, not really. I was not a conceited man, but I knew I was attractive, well-dressed and had a lot to offer a woman. I just hadn't found the right one yet. Those same traits could be attributed to Rose, if I was honest.

I let myself stare at the dark-haired beauty.

Even from across the room, her eyes were large and obviously expressive. Her lips were just full enough to appear pouty but not overly so. As I was watching her, she sipped her water through a straw, and to my surprise, my manhood decided to say hello. It was just a twitch, but if this was already happening while we were fully clothed and across the room from one another…

I tore my eyes away from my gorgeous brunette. "You're serious."

Rosalie took a long draught of her cocktail and grinned at me. "You're not wimping out on me, are you Cullen?" she asked.

My eyes moved from Rose to the girl again, and I watched as she threw her cell phone down and then yanked it away. Apparently, it had fallen in water. I watched her for another moment and then looked back at Rose.

"Not a chance," I replied, following suit and taking a swig of my drink. I realized I couldn't say no to the idea of bedding this woman…and I didn't even know her name. I was already rationalizing, listing all the reasons this was a good idea. _We'll be up front; no strings attached. We'll be clear; one-time thing only. So nice not to have to worry about calling if she's a complete ditz. Been way too long since I was with a woman, and she is _beyond_ beautiful. Can just imagine those lips of hers around my…_ I cleared my throat. Yeah, so I'll admit it – it was that last one that decided things for me. "So how do we do it?"

"Well, we can't just walk up to her and as …" Rosalie's voice fell away.

I glanced over at the girl. She looked angry - or at the very least incredibly frustrated - and was talking to her waitress. As I watched, she shot a small, tight smile at the waitress and stood up. She straightened her skirt and began moving toward the bar. "Let's go," I said, and slid to the end of my seat. "Come on."

Rose moved quickly after downing the last of her drink but grabbed my arm, her nerves suddenly apparent. "What are we going to say?"

"I don't know. We'll wing it. Be _charming_," I teased.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Fine."

We moved behind her in the crowd, and she stood waiting for the bartender to return. Rosalie managed to get to her before me and leaned forward as she whispered into the brunette's ear. The woman turned to her, no doubt surprised at the proximity of this mysterious voice. I watched from a few paces behind and to Rosalie's left as they began to speak to each other.

From this new, closer vantage point, I could see her body - she was petite and thin with a perfect ass and slender legs. Our mystery girl turned around as the bartender arrived. I watched him appraise Rose, and when his eyes returned to our mystery girl, my friend motioned over at me to come closer.

"Just a tequila, please. Make it a double," the girl said to him as I stood a foot or so behind her.

"Let me get that," I said.

She turned around and swallowed hard. I smiled at her and watched as she followed my right hand as I lightly scratched my head behind my ear. Her eyes focused on my hair - in its usual state of disarray - and then came back to my face. It appeared that perhaps I was her type. That was good to know. "You don't have to. Really." Her voice was nice - a little lower than I expected, and sexy.

Rose piped in. "You should let him." I smiled and agreed with her. The girl nodded, and I reached past her and handed the bartender a ten. He poured her shot and slid it to her, and then went happily on his way further down the bar.

"Thanks. What's your name?" she asked me.

With some vague sense of protecting the family's reputation, I gave her my first name and hoped that she wouldn't recognize me as I acknowledged that she'd met Rose already. I smiled at the fact that Rosalie was standing mere inches away from the girl. "Bells? Is that a nickname for Bella?" Rose asked her.

When she said her name was actually Isabella and I complimented the name, I watched as a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. To ensure that it stayed there, I let her see my eyes work their way down her form and back up. I almost laughed when she had to clear her throat before she could speak again. _Surely this won't be this easy…_ I let Rosalie handle the introductory information until Bella asked if we were dating. My laugh was loud and unplanned. "Oh, no. We're not dating. That's an impossibility."

Bella was confused but let the topic go. She chatted amiably about her job, and when I found out she was a writer and copy editor for _The Common Appeal_, my personal interest was somehow ever more piqued.

"My mother writes for an architectural magazine," I said. "She's done it my entire life." I kept it to myself that she'd designed the condos I now owned and managed. "I have a very healthy respect for anyone who can manipulate the written word and do it well."

She was pleased with that, and her soft smile showed it.

More conversation flowed easily between us, and Rose cast a look at me. I nodded, knowing what was coming next.

"So, Bella. We have a question for you." Rose announced.

"Shoot," Bella replied, and downed her shot. I noticed that she flicked her tongue into the glass and felt my cock twitch, again. I pulled my chin closer to my chest as she swallowed, and Rose leaned in to her ear yet again.

I kept calm, despite the many emotions that seemed about to burst forth, when Bella sputtered her initial response. "I…What? What?"

Rose took a half-step back, and I moved toward her. As I placed my left hand on Bella's upper arm and told her the truth - that this was new for us, too - I found myself praying that she wouldn't deny me. That she wouldn't deny us.

Her lips parted, and she just stared at me for a moment before speaking.

I hardly listened to Rose's response to Bella's question about how the…threesome…would work. I watched as Rose took Bella's chin between her fingers and whispered in her ear again. I found myself jealous, if only slightly, that the only contact with Bella I'd had was this one hand on her arm.

I'd remedy that soon.

Bella's shock in response to Rose's whisper told me that Rose had just let her know that she was a lesbian. I lightly held her hand and glided my fingers over her knuckles. I kept my focus on our hands as I questioned her simply. "Bella?"

She looked up at me. "Yes."

She said yes?

She said yes!

I stared into her eyes and heard Rose take a breath. I figured I could either embarrass myself by revealing my elation – and possibly ruin the whole thing – or I could play it cool and get the hell out of there as soon as possible. After all, the less time we gave her to change her mind, the better, right? "So, I live four blocks from here, at 8th and Congress. Meet us there in half an hour?"

When she mentioned my family by name, relief and amusement washed over me. She didn't recognize me from the papers and therefore didn't know who I was. I was glad for that - we could bring that up later. I wasn't keen on using my name to obtain the things I wanted – and if she didn't know, I wanted to be sure she was trustworthy before that sort of information was just handed out.

Rose announced she was going home to pick up a few things, and when Bella turned around to place her glass on the bar, Rose slid her hand over Bella's abdomen and said, "See you very soon," before pulling away.

When she stepped away, I took Bella's hand in mine and pulled her to me, determined to have at least my fair share of contact with her. She was pressed firmly against my leg and hip, and I could feel the warmth radiate from her body. God, she was beautiful. I couldn't get over it. I looked her in the eye as I memorized the way her eyes appeared - wide and alive and mesmerized - as I leaned down to whisper in her ear myself. "Thank you," I said, and then nibbled lightly on her earlobe. I felt a slight shiver move down her spine. I let my mind's eye see her lying on my bed beneath me. I saw her hair splayed on the pillow above her head. I felt her petite, feminine fingers scratching my back lightly as we moved together.

It was all I could do not to groan.

"I'll…I'll see you in a few," she said, a slight stammer in her voice as she pulled away from me.

"We'll be waiting," Rose replied, and Bella stepped out into the crowd.

Once she'd disappeared, I glanced down at Rose and took a deep breath. "We're really doing this, aren't we?"

She cocked an eyebrow at me haughtily. "I am absolutely going to be with her tonight. I guess it's up to you if you want to join us or not."

I narrowed my eyes at her playfully – at least, I think it was playfully – and said, "Oh, you better believe I'll be there. It's my condo, after all."

She laughed softly and turned away, slipping her arm through mine as we walked out of the bar together. "God, she's amazing, isn't she?" she murmured so lowly I could just hear her above the noise in the room.

"That she is indeed…" I answered softly.

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**AN: Just a quick note to apologize for the delay on this. We wanted to wait, and post this at the same time here at FFn and Twilighted, but chapter 6 is still in queue to be validated, and we didn't want to make you wait any longer. **

**Reviews are fab. So are you.**


	2. Exposure Chapter 4: EPOV

**EPOV, Ch 4, Exposure**

**AN: This is EPOV from "Exposure," Chapter 4, after he gets off the phone with Bella. Some of his secrets are revealed here. We hope you enjoy!**

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I ended my phone call with Bella and sighed, letting my head fall onto the back of my recliner. Frustrated, I tossed my cell onto the table near my chair, beneath the lamp. The fact was that I never did fully confess my worries, or own the fact that I didn't know how much longer I could handle this…arrangement of sorts.

I should have come right out with it.

I thought Rose and I could handle this because we'd experienced so much together. I'd seen her naked many times before; we took European vacations together, after all, which included nude beaches, so it wasn't as though that part of this was an issue. I thought we could keep things casual – well, as casual as a three-person relationship could be, I suppose.

I never thought I'd develop real feelings for Bella.

But that first night, when she'd offered to pleasure Rose orally, I had been instantly uncomfortable, but when I tried to leave - or at the very least look away - she'd insisted that I stay. Later, as she slept with her hand on my chest, I realized I was already too invested in her, and that this whole three-way commitment was probably a bad idea, but I pushed through because I was certain I was being ridiculous. It was just some masculine territorial response that I would get over.

But I hadn't. And each week, it had become harder and harder to watch her with Rosalie. To hear her moan Rose's name and see her writhe beneath my best friend's hands.

When I talked to Bella on the phone as she soaked in a bath – a scene that made me catch my breath, if I'm honest - I thought of her harried response to my query: "Of course I do," she'd said.

When she replied that way, I decided to persevere. This was just new. It wasn't as though I'd had threesomes regularly before Bella entered my life. Never mind that I wondered if it could technically be called a threesome, considering Rose and I never touched one another.

_I can do this_, I decided, and then Bella and I had talked. We spoke about my philanthropic works, and the McIntyre Project, which I was incredibly excited about. The idea of giving lower income families a real shot at moving out of the worst sections of town gave me a sense of true joy. I learned about her family and that her brother was gay. It was definitely nice to know that she could relate to standing up for someone you loved when some jerk made asinine comments about them or their preferences.

Knowing Bella had been in the tub when I called…I couldn't lie: the imagery that played through my mind was intoxicating. I could see her. Taste her. Feel her skin, her hands, what it was like to be inside of her.

God, she felt so good…

When I'd asked her to think of me when she touched herself that night, the words had surprised even me. I wondered if I hadn't really been able to shove back my worries, if that was a subtle attempt to focus her attentions on me and me alone, and I felt quite prepared to do a little self-analysis.

But then…I remembered the way she'd responded.

I could her the water sloshing as she stood and stepped out of the tub, and knowing she was standing there naked was bad enough, but when she gasped, and her voice lowered as it always did when she was aroused, I had nearly begged her to let me come over, despite our "no singular dating" rule.

I'd only insisted on that rule because I had assumed it would keep things simpler between the three of us, but it hadn't stopped my feelings for her from growing and changing. Of course, I wondered now if perhaps I already had misgivings about her being with Rosalie and subconsciously couldn't bear the thought of the two of them enjoying each other alone…without me.

In the wake of our phone call, I felt anxious. I picked my cell phone back up and walked to my bedroom, taking a seat in the middle of my bed. I tossed the phone to my nightstand after making sure it was silenced. I had no appointments in the morning and wanted to try to sleep in at least until nine.

When I'd called Bella, I had already changed into my sleepwear – boxers and a t-shirt, given the warm weather Chicago happened to be experiencing, so I let myself fall back onto my bed, my head on the pillow.

Bella in the bath…what a sight to behold.

I could see her there, her hair tied up into a messy knot of sorts on the top of her head, bubbles coating the surface of the water and surrounding her chest and neck, the only visible skin on her body that of her face, throat, and forearms, where they lay along the edge of the tub. Her eyes would be closed, and her face turned slightly toward the ceiling.

Glorious.

As I continued to think of her, bare beneath the water, my right hand moved of its own accord, grazing my length, still confined to my boxers.

I closed my eyes and let my imagination go.

_Suddenly, in that strange way that always happens in daydreams, I was standing in the doorway, and the bubbles had disappeared, thanks to some sort of magical time lapse. Bella stood, the water gliding down her subtle curves, and faced me. Her skin shimmered faintly with the iridescence of the bubbles, the rivulets of water drawing my eyes to her shapely legs._

_Slowly, she stepped over the bathtub wall and onto the heather gray mat on her bathroom floor. She reached up with one hand and pulled the band holding her hair up away from her head, allowing her long, dark hair to cascade down her back and over her chest._

I took my boxers off, dropping them on the mattress to my right as I took myself in my hand with a firm grip. I was already hard, but my fantasy was nowhere near over. I knew that instinctively.

_Bella moved toward me, a small smirk on her lips. I lifted my arms to her, wrapping her bare body in my embrace, and she hopped lithely. Easily, I caught her and held her to me with my hands beneath her thighs. Her legs were wrapped around me as I headed to her bedroom. _

_The sheets on her mattress were already turned down, and I placed her gently down on her back, leaning over her as I took her bottom lip between my teeth lightly. _

My hand moved evenly, a slow rhythm that felt like heaven as I imagined the texture of Bella's soft skin against mine. Up and down it moved, and the sensitivity of my nerve endings seemed to have grown exponentially.

_She kissed me back, hard, pulling me down so that her bare breasts were pressed into my chest. I groaned into her mouth as I felt her fingers wrap around me, gently teasing my head; it felt so good that my hips jerked involuntarily, and she giggled against my lips. _

"_I want you," she whispered into my ear. "Let me have you, Edward." _

"_Always," I replied, and let her guide me into her body, wet heat surrounding me as I gasped at the sensation. _

_Being inside Bella, fully wrapped in her warmth, her body, never ceased to amaze me. It was hot and exciting and delicious, and then there were the sounds she made. _

_Tiny grunts and moans, fervent whispers in my ear…sometimes I wondered if she was cognizant of the noises she made, but it really didn't matter: they turned me on. _

My rhythm became erratic as I imagined being sheathed inside of Bella with no barrier between us, no distraction of another person in the room, and as I pumped my hand back and forth, I felt a familiar heat coursing through my body and my hips began to writhe against the satin of my sheets.

"Fuck," I mumbled, and then I came, hard and fast, my release thankfully pooling on my stomach instead of my sheets.

In the aftermath, I let myself relax, letting my nerves calm down before I rose to walk to the bathroom to clean myself up. Quickly, the substance on my stomach was cold, and I moved sluggishly to shower.

As I stood there, the hot water flowing over my skin, my mind was on Bella.

I hadn't wanted to admit to her that I didn't think I could handle sharing her with Rose – with anyone, really. This agreement was what had brought us together…how could I now tell her that it wasn't good enough for me? She could just as easily choose Rosalie – or choose to go on without either of us. She could call me a selfish bastard – and I was. I could lose her completely.

Sharing Bella was ridiculous, but if it was the only way I could have her, I supposed I had to take it.

That night, as I closed my eyes in the darkness of my room, I pictured Bella, her hands curved into her body and her lips parted as she brought herself to orgasm, whispering my name breathlessly. That vision appeared over and over again in my dreams.

The next morning, as I sipped my coffee, staring out at the Chicago skyline from my living room window, I knew I was falling in love with her.

This would pose a problem.

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	3. Exposure Chapter 5: RPOV

**AN: This is RPOV of the aftermath. It begins with her running out of Bella's apartment (chapter 5) and moves forward from there.**

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For weeks, I had been able to tell something was amiss with Edward. He was my best friend, after all, and I could be honest enough to admit that we found ourselves in a rather precarious situation.

The fact was that the moment I'd seen Bella – dark haired with big brown eyes and a winning smile – I'd known she was Edward's type.

Thing is…she was my type, too.

Normally, I would've stepped aside and let him approach her alone, but he had all but stopped dating, so I seriously doubted he would do anything about it anyway. More than that, though, there was something alluring about Bella, something unusual. I couldn't place it, but I felt drawn to her in a way that I'd rarely felt before, and that was without ever hearing so much as the sound of her voice.

I wanted to know her, too.

So I'd pushed him, teased him a little, until he'd agreed we should try this…thing out, and it had worked beautifully.

Bella was amazingly receptive; I knew she wasn't a lesbian and that I was guiding her through her first girl-on-girl experience, but it hardly seemed to matter. When she willingly went down on me - and Edward had been uncomfortable watching – I had been prepared to be done with the sexual side of our impending relationship with Bella before it had really even begun.

I'd assumed we would have that one night, and then it would be over.

But everything was so perfect…

And then she'd all but begged us to continue.

Neither Edward nor I could tell her no.

So, we continued to meet on Fridays, alternating the locale between each of our places, and I watched as Edward grew more and more uneasy with our arrangement.

Perhaps it was selfish of me. It had been a long time since Kathryn, and I'd been sorely lacking in any kind of sexual release that wasn't self-induced. Perhaps I was just a horny bitch who needed to get off, and Bella was conveniently there. Or perhaps I just really liked Bella as a person, and the fact that she wanted to be with me, in that way, was just what I needed.

I knew it was a little of all three.

But when Edward had mumbled and run from the room that night at Bella's, my heart had leapt into my throat.

Thank God I was still dressed, because I had hardly been able to catch up with him when I ran from the room. I'd felt terrible for leaving Bella with no explanation, but the truth of the matter was that Edward was the one person I couldn't live without. He was my backbone, my sanity…I simply couldn't lose him.

"_Edward! Edward, wait," I called out just as he reached his car door. The silver of his Volvo – a car I teased him for owning, considering the money he had at his fingertips – seemed garish and bright in the light of the street lamp, and he paused, his body frozen as his fingers curved around the handle of the door. _

"_Rose," he replied. His voice was quiet, broken, somehow. _

_Guilt rose up in me. This was my fault. I should have asked him what was wrong. I should have shown him I could see that he wasn't comfortable. _

_Fear was next. What if this did our relationship in? What if we couldn't get past this? My hands were trembling as I approached him, and I wondered if I could trust my voice. _

_Panic began to overwhelm me as I tried to think of what to say. Should I apologize? Should I tell him to go back upstairs so we could give Bella some realistic explanation of what had just transpired? My breathing started coming in short pants and gasps and to try to steady myself, I leaned on his car with one hand. _

"_Rose, I'm sorry," he said, finally looking me in the eye. _

_The emotions that reflected back to me in the deep green of his eyes were enough to calm at least one fear. _

_He was afraid he would lose me, too. _

"_You're sorry? Why? I should have said…I mean, I knew you were…" I couldn't decide what to say, and my breathing was still uneven. My stammering was so unlike me that I just stopped to take a deep breath. _

"_I should have been up front about…everything," he said, regret coating each word like a thick fog. _

_I looked up at him and sighed. "I should have, too," I said. _

"_I…look, Rose, I can't do this here, okay? I have to go home and try to sleep and not think about this mess for a while, alright? I know the timing of this is terrible because this week is insanely busy for me, but I swear, we can talk about it later." He paused and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I promise. Later." _

_I nodded and moved to hug him. His arms instantly wrapped around me, and I suddenly knew that we could get through this. _

_It would be hard, though. _

_When we parted, I stepped back onto the sidewalk and watched him drive away. After I cast a fleeting look up at Bella's window, I sighed and walked to my car, glad I'd thought to snatch my purse up on my way out and after Edward. _

_I knew we owed Bella an explanation, but I wasn't prepared to talk to her. Not yet._

_Quickly, I walked to my car. As soon as I sat down, I groaned. _

"_Rosalie Hale, you're an idiot," I chided myself aloud, and then pulled away from the curb. _

Wednesday, I called Edward. I'd tried hard to give him the space I knew he needed, but I was unable to handle the silence that stood between us any longer.

"Hey, Rose," he answered the call.

I took a deep breath before replying. "Are you…alright?"

"I am. Are you?"

"Yeah…Listen, Edward…can we get a drink or something? I think we should talk." I wondered if he'd say no, tell me to go fuck myself and hang up, but of course, this was my best friend. He'd never do that to me.

"That's probably a good idea, Rose," he said. We arranged to meet at The Signature Lounge an hour later, and I found myself pacing back and forth in my kitchen before I left.

Fears were gnawing at me. I worried that somehow, we wouldn't be able to recover from this…whatever this was. And then I felt like crap because, as much as I was truly terrified to lose Edward, I couldn't get Bella off my mind. She was this constant presence, always there, always around, and in the absence of Edward, I felt wrong for thinking of her.

We met just outside the doors and went in, immediately moving to the bar to order a drink.

"Sidecar, please. And a Signature Pear, as well," Edward announced to the bartender.

"You don't have to…"

He cut me off. "Yes I do. I always buy your drinks," he said with a small smile. "Stop being difficult."

His teasing broke some of the tension, and as we stood near the window, looking down at the street from so high up, he finally said, "You know, Rose, I really should have been up front about the fact that I was no longer…okay…with our arrangement."

I sipped my martini and shrugged as I caught his eye. "I should have made you talk."

We both said we were sorry, one on top of the other, our words tumbling together easily.

It was silent.

Then, "Where do we go from here?" he asked. "I won't lose you in this, Rosalie. I can't. You're my backbone, and you're too important."

"I feel the same way, Edward. It's…Maybe we should just focus on the two of us. Getting back to what our friendship was before things went a little haywire." I paused and stared down at the floor near my feet. "I'm sorry for pushing you into participation," I said softly.

"Hey," he said in a strong voice, just loud enough that I jerked my face upward to look at him. "Don't think that way. I wanted her. You didn't have to do too much convincing, if I remember correctly. And after all, she's the one who suggested we continue our…routine."

I didn't miss that he never said her name.

He wasn't over _some_thing, even if he was professing to me that we were going to be fine.

We discussed taking a few days to think through anything we wanted to say to one another. We decided that we'd talk again after we'd had enough time to work through our own personal dilemmas. Overall, we agreed that rebuilding our friendship was important, but in order to do that, we had to determine what was most important to us as individuals first. We finished our cocktails and went home for the evening, and even though I was reassured that I wasn't going to lose Edward, I still felt on edge, uncomfortable…worried about whatever it was he wasn't telling me.

Edward and I talked briefly, but both of our professional lives were incredibly busy in the week following that Friday at Bella's. We really were fine, but I could tell there was something he was still holding back; something he was, for whatever reason, not ready to say aloud.

This seemed different than whatever his discomforts were regarding our arrangement with Bella. I was relatively sure it was tied to her, but I couldn't quite discern how.

The next week passed, and when Friday came, I found myself curled up in a blanket on my couch, despite the warm weather we were experiencing.

My book was face down on the couch next to me, and I realized I really wanted to apologize to Bella. For leaving her. For not calling sooner.

For this mess we were in.

I knew it wasn't completely my fault. We were all legal, consenting adults who knew what they were getting into, but still. I was of the opinion that we all owed each other a bit of an apology.

I needed to tell Edward I was sorry for pushing him into this whole scenario. He needed to apologize to us both for not being open and honest regarding whatever was going on in his mind. Bella should possibly have apologized for manipulating us the morning after – because, in truth, that's what it was – because, in truth, Edward and I would never have considered a _relationship_ with a girl…together.

Sure, in recent years, I'd taken a liking to brunettes, which meant we often found the same women attractive, but the fact remained that a threesome blurred lines, and that was a bad idea.

We'd known that from the beginning, but Bella had enthralled us both, and apparently, we'd been robbed of our reason as well.

Still, I missed her.

I wanted to see her.

I had no idea how she'd react if I asked, but I had to know.

I picked up my phone and dialed her number.


End file.
